Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Smith, John Kilby (d. 1842) to Henry Knox

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02437.02600 Author/Creator: Smith, John Kilby (d. 1842) Place Written: West Point, New York Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 1 October 1783 Pagination: 2 p. : docket ; 31.9 x 19.7 cm. Order a Copy

Discusses a case where a soldier of the 6th Massachusetts Regiment was mustered as a deserter for exceeding the "limitation of a furlow ... " Smith explains that this soldier only exceeded the amount of time given due to sickness, which prevented him from rejoining his regiment within the appointed time and asks Knox to grant him a furlough.

Smith, John Kilby (d. 1842)

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